Walgreen Joins in Exodus of Workers to Private Exchanges

Walgreen Co. (WAG), the biggest U.S. drugstore chain, will move its workers into a private health insurance exchange to buy company-subsidized coverage, the latest sign of how the debate over Obamacare is accelerating a historic shift in corporate health-care coverage.

About 160,000 Walgreen employees now have to choose which coverage plan suits them best at a time of rising complexity in the health-care system. While Walgreen said it will provide funding in 2014 equal to what workers get now, the move curtails uncertainty on future outlays, and there’s no guarantee the company’s contribution will rise if premiums do.